Tselinoyarsk
Tselinoyarsk (Russian: Целиноярск), also known as the Virgin Cliffs, was a region in the south of the former Soviet Union. The area was diverse in nature, its topography including swamps, forests, canyons, mountains, and was home to an incredible array of wildlife. Tselinoyarsk was the site of the OKB-754 and OKB-812 Design Bureaus headed by Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov and Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin, respectively, as well as the military fortress of Groznyj Grad, led by GRU colonel Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin. Nuclear testing was also conducted in the area. In August 1964, Naked Snake infiltrated Tselinoyarsk twice as part of the CIA's Virtuous Mission and Operation Snake Eater. Etymology The name Tselinoyarsk derives from the Russian words Tselina meaning "virgin soil" or "uncultivated land," and Yar meaning "precipice."Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, Kojima Productions (2008). The English name is translated as the "Virgin Cliffs." Virtuous Mission Main article '' Snake's first mission in Tselinoyarsk, the Virtuous Mission, required him to infiltrate the area, rescue a defecting Dr. Sokolov, and bring him back to the United States. However, the mission ended in failure when legendary U.S. soldier The Boss defected to the Soviet Union and prevented Snake from completing his objectives. The OKB-754 Design Bureau was also destroyed by Volgin using a miniature nuclear shell. This resulted in an international controversy, which also resulted in the preparation of Operation Snake Eater. As a direct result of this incident, security also became tighter around FOX's original route, forcing them to take a route from the North Pole. Operation Snake Eater [[Operation Snake Eater|''Main article]] A week after the Virtuous Mission, Snake was sent back into Tselinoyarsk to carry out Operation Snake Eater. His mission this time around was to eliminate both Colonel Volgin and The Boss, and ensure the destruction of the Shagohod, a nuclear weapon that Sokolov had been forced to develop. Shortly after the events of the mission, Groznyj Grad and Graniny Gorki were obliterated by The Boss using the last Davy Crockett, and the Philosophers' Legacy was also stolen. Areas Military resources (as of 1964) Personnel * GRU **Colonel Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin **Major Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov **Major Ocelot **Ocelot Unit **Johnny **Flame troopers *Cobra Unit **The Boss **The Pain **The Fear **The End **The Fury *Scientists *Engineers *Officers *KGB (pre-Operation Snake Eater) Security devices * Booby traps ** Pit trap ** Snare ** Tripwires *** Swinging log *** Rattling cans *** Explosive *** Darts * Electric fence * Attack dogs *CannonsSometimes during an alert, the radio soldiers will request fire support. Cannons will then fire off-screen and target the player. The player can also use this to their advantage by getting the frequency by interrogating the soldiers. Vehicles *Objekt 279 tanks (at least 8) *Shagohod prototype (1) *Hind A helicopters (prototypes; at least 9) *Flying platforms *MiG-21 "Fishbed" *Maz-535 heavy trucks *Bartini Beriev VVA-14 "WIG" (at least 6) *Motorcycles *ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns *Forklifts *BTR-152s (at least 9) Weapons under R&D Groznyj Grad contained a vault used to store weapons of Western origin for research purposes. The majority of the weapons were stolen from the United States or from test sites belonging to the West. *C3 *M1911A1 *Mk.22 "Hush Puppy" *XM16E1 *M63 *M37 *Claymore mines *M2 flamethrower *Stun grenades *Smoke grenades *Chaff grenades Wildlife Main article Flora and fungi *Amur Kudzu *Baikal Scaly Tooth *Chinese Plantain *Fly Agaric* *Golova* *Ezo Comfrey* *Russian False Mango* *Russian Glowcap *Russian Oyster Mushrooms *Siberian Ink Cap *Slav Horehound *Spatsa *Ural Luminescent *Vine Melon *Yabloko Moloko :* native to Tselinoyarsk Fauna *Alexandrine Parakeet *Arowana *Bigeye Trevally *Cobalt Blue Tarantula *Coral Snake *Emperor Scorpion *European Rabbit *Giant Anaconda *Green Tree Python *Indian Gavial*+ *Japanese Flying Squirrel *Kenyan Mangrove Crab *King Cobra *Leech *Les Enfant Terribles *Magpie *Markhor *Maroon Shark *Milk Snake *Otton Frog *Poison Dart Frog *Rat *Reticulated Python *Red Avadavat *Sunda Whistling-Thrush *Taiwanese Cobra *Thai Cobra* *Tree Frog+ *Tsuchinoko *Vampire Bat *White-Rumped Vulture :* escaped from human captivity :+ affected by nuclear fallout Unconfirmed history Tselinoyarsk would later become known as Zanzibar Land, the nation that was granted independence from the Soviet Union by Big Boss, who previously infiltrated the area decades ago. The reason why Russia and the CIS were unwilling to let Tselinoyarsk gain its independence was because it was the only strategic border and religious cushion remaining separating Russia and the former Soviet countries in Central Asia from Muslim countries.Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (novelization), Itō Keikaku, (2008). When secession movements erupted in the Soviet republics of Central Asia, one territory remained crucial to the motherland as a religious cushion between the neighbring Muslim states, and the reformed Russian government wasn't about to let it go. As the Soviet military had invaded Afghanistan, the Russian armed forces were detached to the territory of Tselinoyarsk. Yet the child state, certainly no major military power, somehow prevailed in the conflict. According to rumor, one man had organized a mercenary army, supplied a torrent of arms, and provided training on the ground. The newly independent people named their country Zanzibar Land. Behind the scenes In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, it was implied that Tselinoyarsk was located in present-day Tajikistan, which lies adjacent to Pakistan, separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor.Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (2004). Pilot: "Flying over Pakistan, altitude 30,000 feet. Approaching Soviet airspace." HALO Instructor : "Twenty minutes to dropoff..." However, the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database states that it was in the southeast of the Soviet Union.Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, Kojima Productions (2010). http://natmal.net/mgsdb/?enc&id=437 Hideo Kojima also indicated that the trajectory of the Combat Talon, while traveling to Tselinoyarsk, was either from China in the East or from Asia in the South.http://www.tentenpro.com/muni_shinobu/mgs3/commentary1.html According to this, a very good candidate could be the present day Kyrgyzstan, a country on the southeast of the former USSR territory, on the frontier with China. In addition to that, eastern Kyrgyzstan has praires, forests, valleys, rivers and lakes, with areas of it having humid continental climate, which could explain the geography of Tselinoyarsk. Its name is possibly based on "Tselinograd" which was a former name of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Although Tselinoyarsk does not reappear as a location in any other canonical games beyond some flashbacks in Peace Walker, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Portable Ops, it did receive several mentions in other games. In addition, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has an Event FOB uniform called Tselinoyarsk, which is colored light green and is considered suitable camouflage on metal and concrete surfaces. It was later released on the March 8-14, 2016 version of Mosquito's Legacy. One of the three stages used for the Arena and Link Battle modes in Metal Gear Acid 2 was based on Tselinoyarsk, being an encampment within that area. Notes and references Appearances *''Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater'' *''Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops'' (mentioned and flashbacks) *''Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots'' (mentioned and flashbacks) *''Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker'' (mentioned and flashbacks) *''Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain'' (mentioned) Non-canon appearances *''Metal Gear Acid 2'' (Arena mode stage; non-canon) de:Tselinoyarsk ru:Целиноярск Category:Metal Gear Solid 3 Category:Tselinoyarsk